Ekona

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... -trolley-j http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... ile-trolle You could buy four of the first one for the cost of that one, and three of the second one if you need it desperately. I know it's a cheapy, but the guys on Seloc have used them for years with no issues and it works on the principle that it's cheap enough to throw away and buy again once a year worst case scenario.

Woo almost fixed! Well, almost anyway. Got some physio booked for next week so hopefully after that I should start to gain some mobility back. Also planning my first sneaky drive next week too... Anyhoo, I had some spare time so decided to try and write a little bit about how the last few weeks have been for me. Couldn't really decide where to post it so figured it might as well go in here, would love to hear peoples thoughts on it. Apologies for the wall of text, it wasn't written with a forum in mind. It was quite a tough thing to write really, but also quite relaxing getting it off my chest. *********************************************************** Living Without Cars First, a confession. I’m not living without cars at all: In fact, I’ve got four vehicles sat outside the house right now. Therein lies the problem, in that they’re just sat there. It’s been just over 8 weeks since I had an operation on my back that has meant that I was no longer medically fit to drive, and for those that have ever had an L5/S1 discectomy then you’ll know it’s not something you’d particularly want to do straight after anyway. It’s meant that I’ve had essentially the entire summer off work, which if you’re 11 is the most amazing thing in the world. When you’re a 32 year old chap who adores engines of all kinds, it’s possibly the biggest punishment in the world ever. To be perfectly honest, which after my initial falsehood I will endeavour to be from now on, it’s not been that bad. Three weeks pretty much confined to bed in pain means you don’t really want to go for a quick blat anywhere, much less snick the ‘box down two gears in a tight hairpin. It’s after that when the mental pain takes over. When you can walk around relatively freely, when you’re no longer restricted in bending over to pick the car keys up from the table, that’s when the anguish sets in. We haven’t exactly had a summer that’s conducive to epic drives so far (although it is blazing sunshine outside as I write this), and in a way that has helped pass the time. Truth be told though I don’t see driving as something that you’d only choose to do when there’s nary a cloud in the sky, as some of my more memorable drives have been in atrocious weather. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been out in a convertible with the roof down when it’s been snowing, or trying not to get blown off course by near-hurricane strength winds. That’s partly the reason it’s been so hard I guess, as I see opportunity in everything. To be frank, unless it’s bucketing down then I’ll happily grab the keys and head for the garage. So how have I survived? One word: Forza. Using a convoluted method involving many pillows and cushions, I managed to set up my wireless steering wheel and pedals attached to a Wheel Stand Pro and arrange myself in a position where I could play the game on the good TV downstairs and not be in aching discomfort all the time. It pulled me through, it really did, and I’m grateful now I got a bit bored of the game when it first came out and left a load of races to do. I’ve blasted through the season in everything from a sheddy old Fiesta via my beloved 355 and finally onto the good stuff like the Gulf-liveried Aston Martin LMP1 car. I’ve perfected my lines around Italian villages (and discovered a Murcielago is completely unsuited to the task), held it flat out through Copse and wondered how the hell those guys who do the LM24 every year manage to drive those cars at that speed that consistently on Circuit de la Sarthe. Without hitting the rewind button of course, as I’m not sure that even Audi are quite that far advanced on their technology for that race yet. And still, it’s not been enough. Car forums have been both the best and worst thing around in my time of need. Best in that I’ve felt like I’m still out there, driving, in a mass group of fellow petrolheads whose garage is as varied as the options on a new 911, and who are doing the work on cars that I cannot. Worst for almost the exact same reasons: I should be doing all that! I should be the one breaking bolts whilst changing exhausts! I should be the one begging forgiveness from a stern TrafPol officer! I should be the one out there searching for my next car purchase! Actually, scratch that last one, because that’s all I’ve done. Bloody PH Classifieds eats up enough of my time when I’m fit and healthy, so having unsupervised access to the entire database 24/7 has meant that I have a knowledge unsurpassed amongst my peers when it comes to second-hand car values. Glass’s and Parkers have nothing on me right now, I can assure you. I’ve spent many an hour not only working out the ideal 3-car lottery win garage, but just which cars I could buy and run for set budgets and not lose money on. At £10K an E46 M3 or 996 911 are the picks, get to £20K and you’re into Esprit territory, and then further up a 360 can’t lose that much more. Can it? Could I afford to run the damn thing? Will it fit into the garage? I wonder if I can do a straight swap with someone… It’s not been a cheap few weeks, either. I’ve got plans for my little MX-5, and those plans don’t stand still simply because I can’t move. Again, I blame the interweb completely for my ability to still be able to purchase things without leaving the house. New seat, brackets, steering wheel, gearknob, decat, diff oil, gaskets: All these things are now residing in my front room, ready to be installed with great gusto once I’m up and about. The seat, wheel and knob were the first things I bought, despite the car having perfectly usable ones as it stands. I hadn’t thought about it that much until now, but I suspect that I’m missing the tactility of driving as much as the actual act of it. I’ve got about another three weeks until I’m completely fit and able to drive again (and go back to work, natch), so it’s not really that long any more. Certainly I can see headlights at the end of the tunnel, and planning of my first drive has begun in earnest. Sometimes I think an early morning hoon in the Mazda would be a great start, or maybe a more gentle cruise on some dual-carriageways would be better. Or I could go mental and just do a trackday and be done with it. Truth is though, at this point even sitting in traffic on the M25 in the work pick-up would be fine. Fiddling with the radio or glancing idly around looking at fellow drivers also killing time, all wondering what the hold-up is, and winding the window down just enough to hear the V8 of the Aston next to you idle away. When you can’t drive, it really is the smallest pleasures you miss most.

Possibly, but it's also about how the question is phrased. "My mate's got a Focus ST and we were doing 120mph on the motorway and he was pulling away, how can I make my car faster than his?" "I would like to get some more straight line speed out of my Zed, what's the best way to achieve this?" Identical questions really, as the answer is the same for both, but it's fairly obvious which one is going to get the proper answer.

We really couldn't have asked any more from any of Team GB today, they've all been immense. Except the football team, which have been as crap as usual

Out of curiosity, how and what did you use to check the IP of an email?

God that was a good game. I wasted months of my life playing that.

Oh, the irony of telling people not to post on a thread if they don't like it, and then posting about not wanting to read about people moaning about threads they don't like. Click the back button if you don't want to read about me moaning

Didn't someone have a similar issue with a rusty bonnet the other week, but when the small print was read it said that the warranty didn't apply until there was an actual hole? Or did I dream it?

Sounds like a shock, could also be a snapped drop link possibly.

Not sure about the bonnet lines either, but it's definitely different

Not as tedious as it's getting reading them. Writing about a fun blat on the road is fine, and at the start of the OP's post I was quite interested in it as it was a bit different. It's all this utter nonsense about "Why is my car not as good as this one?" or "How much more power can I get so I can be quicker than X car?" that I'm fed up with. If you want to improve areas of your car, fine. If you're wondering why another car is faster, then go and ask the owner of the car. If you want a quick car, there are plenty quicker and cheaper than the Zed. If a p*ssing contest is what you want, then just buy a different car.

Are we not all on her because we have time to waste Speak for yourself, I've only so much vitriol to go round!

Can we just move sh*t like this straight to the Green Room? It's utter tripe and a complete waste of time.

Size of the engine is irrelevant, you do know that, right?

Double clutch?! Chuff me, is it 1965 again?!

Where's the whoosh parrot when you need him?

Spoofed header.

+millionty Keep a bottle of octane booster in the car just in case.

Gold works well, as does the red

Red spokes and black lip isn't a bad shout, might make the tyres look a bit big though? Not sure. Maybe black wheels but red calipers?

Get them on then ya lazy bugger!

God that's a good looking Zed What colour for the wheels? I can only see black or red working with your existing scheme, not sure if the red would be too much though.

Same as I had mine then, albeit I had adjustable front a-arms and rear toe/camber arms to run more aggressive geo. The ARBs gave me the control I wanted without sacrificing comfort, great setup I feel more people shoud try ARBs before swapping out the dampers and springs for performance.

Tell him you'll give him a discount for cash.

Whatever you say, poppet. To be fair, with arms like that you can have whatever colour phone you bloody well like!